Pre-Flight Check
by StBridget
Summary: Danny and Steve think Steffie's too young to fly, so Matt takes matters into his own hands. AU Dragon!Danny verse. Ch. 2 added by request.
1. Chapter 1

**Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.  
**

 **A/N: Bswindle20 wanted more young Steffie stories. Not to worry! Here's a little ficlet to take the edge off, and there's more to come!**

"Okay, Steffie," Fvie-year-old Matt McGarret-Williams told his sister, "this is how you stand." He adjusted the baby dragon's stance. "No, like this." Steffie overbalanced and landed in the sand of the beach where they were practicing. She started mewling. Matt patted her on the head soothingly and helped her upright. "It's okay, Steffie. You'll get it soon. Just keep trying."

Danny Williams smiled at his children from his vantage point on the porch. He couldn't hear them, but he could see them and guess what they were doing. They were so intent on their task, neither child noticed him. Danny aimed his phone at them, capturing the moment on video.

"Whatcha doing?" Danny's husband, partner, and soulmate Steve McGarrett came up behind him.

Danny pointed at the beach. "Matt's teaching Steffie how to fly."

"I thought you weren't going to teach her until she's a year old."

"I'm not," Danny said, "but Matt's not doing any harm. Besides," he chuckled as Steffie went down again, "I don't think they're going to get that far."

The two men watched their children as Matt guided Steffie through proper form again and again, picking her up and soothing her cries each time she fell, which was often. At last the baby dragon stood firm, wings spread.

That's when Matt noticed his fathers. "Daddy, Danno, look! Steffie can fly! Well, sorta."

The men approached the children. Danny picked up Matt. "Good job, buddy. I think she's got a ways to go, though."

"When's she going to be able to fly, Danno?" Matt asked. Steffie turned blue eyes towards Danny, obviously also waiting for the answer.

"Not for a few months yet," Danny said. "Let's not rush things."

Matt's face fell, and so, Danny thought, did Steffie's, though it was hard to tell in dragon form. "But I want her to fly with us."

"She will," Danny assured him. "It'll just take time. Just like it took you time."

"But I want her to fly now!" Matt insisted, and the baby dragon bobbed her head in agreement.

Danny laughed. "You two are just as impatient as your daddy. We'll get there in good time. Patience is a virtue." _Just not one of yours,_ Danny thought, referring to both his kids and his husband. Steve caught the stray thought and grinned.

"We'll learn," Steve said. "Right, kids?"

Matt sighed, and Steffie mimicked him, a funny sight from a dragon. "Alright. I guess we don't have any choice."

"No, you don't," Danny said. "But in the meantime, you can always fly with us."

Steffie switched to human form, clapped her hands and burbled. "That's alright with me," she seemed to say.

Steve picked her up. "You bet," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: fioninxs wanted more, and I was happy to oblige. ;)  
**

"Daddy, Danno!" Matt came bursting into the kitchen, clearly excited. "It's Steffie's birthday! _Now_ can we teach her to fly?"

Danny chuckled from where he was feeding Steffie. "Yes, Mat, now we can teach her to fly." He and Steve had agreed it was only fair—they'd started Matt's lessons on his first birthday. Not that Steffie cared—her concept of time didn't extend much beyond "now". The date was clearly more significant for Matt.

Steve and Danny made Matt eat first while Danny finished feeding Steffie and Steve cleaned up. It was hard for Matt to settle down enough to eat, but he finally managed it. The family made their way down to the beach, where Steve and Danny ran Steffie through the basics, Matt frequently breaking in to add his own "helpful" instructions, which generally proved not very helpful at all.

"Look, Steffie, this is how you do it!" he said, shifting and launching himself into the air, flying fast and low—straight towards the house.

"Matt, watch out!" Steve warned, but the young dragon paid no attention.

"MATTHEW JOHN MCGARRETT WILLIAMS, STOP RIGHT NOW!" Danny barked.

Matt screeched to a halt just a few yards from the house, crashing to the ground and flattening a picnic table. Danny sighed. Matt still had some control issues from time to time. For that matter, so did Steve. Danny, of course, had perfect control, a thought which made Steve snicker.

Steffie raced after Matt, managing to get a few inches off the ground every so often and taking a few unsteady hops before crashing snout first into the sand. Danny decided that was enough for the day.

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Teaching Steffie to fly was slow going. She was definitely _not_ a natural. Danny showed endless patience, running her through drills over and over, but Steve and Matt were considerably more impatient. Matt, especially, kept trying to "show her how it's done!", usually with disastrous or near-disastrous results, including running into a tree which required a trip to the emergency room for treatment for the resulting concussion, despite Steve's protests that they could treat him perfectly well themselves ("You would be an expert on concussions," Danny had snorted).

"Watch this, Steffie!" Matt shouted one day, doing his usual shift and launch, soaring up a few feet and executing a perfect loop-de-loop. "Now you try!"

"I don't think. . ." Danny started, too late. Steffie launched herself upward, not really gaining air, and managing to get about halfway around before crashing and landing flat on her back amidst much pathetic mewling. Danny sighed as he soothed her tears and set her on her feet for what seemed the millionth time.

Finally, finally Steffie was airborne, wobbling for a few feet before stabilizing and flying about 100 yards about 10 feet above the ground before clumsily turning around. She wasn't nearly as graceful as Matt was, even at that age, but she managed it. Despite having Danny's coloring, Steffie was built more like Steve, both as a human and a dragon, whereas Matt had Steve's coloring but Danny's build. Steffie, therefore, was both bigger and bulkier in dragon form, and a lot less maneuverable. That would come with time, Steve and Danny assured her; Steve in particular could attest to that.

Steffie progressed much faster from there. Part of the problem was Steffie didn't seem to enjoy flying. Danny suspected a lot of it was born of frustration at not picking it up easily and the reality not matching Matt and Steve's grandiose tales of the wonders of flying. One day, it clicked. Danny had led the whole family on a short flight, he, Steve, and Matt flying ahead while Steffie flapped laboriously behind, struggling to hold her altitude. Danny only flew for about five minutes before taking pity on the baby dragon and turning them around. Sensing an eddy above them, Danny climbed a little to catch it. Steffie obediently followed, little wings flapping as hard as they could. Then, she caught the eddy. Suddenly, she was soaring easily over the trees. _Daddy, Danno, Matt, I'm flying!_ she thought excitedly.

 _Good girl_ , Danny thought back, and heard Matt and Steve's cheers in his mind. He was sure Steffie did, too, as he felt a surge of happiness through his connection to her.

Steffie glided a few hundred yards, then angled up sharply and dove back down, barely missing the treeline before she leveled out. _Wheeeeeeeee! This is fun!_ She thought.

 _Told you so_ , Matt thought smugly, and God, he sounded like Steve to Danny's ears (er, mind. Whatever).

Danny grinned as broadly as he could with jaws that weren't meant for smiling. _Okay, gang_ , he thought, _let's head for home_. Turning together in (well, not so) perfect synchrony, they flew towards home.


End file.
